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Tavi glanced back at Fade and then followed Doroga out of the tent and into the blinding light of the first day of winter Sunlight poured through crystalline skies to blaze over the snow that covered the ground in an al seconds to adjust and for hied fro at his ar hundreds of Marat

Maratfires or watched casually, hands near the hafts of spears or on chipped-stone daggers or furyforged Aleran blades Like Doroga, they wore only a brief loincloth, despite the weather, and evinced no signs of discoh some of them wore cloaks of hide and fur that seemed more orna their owners warm or dry Children ran here and there, dressed in the saa&039;s whelp had worn, and watched the strangers with obvious interest

To Tavi&039;s astonishshoulders and ars a proper Aleran boy was not supposed to see (but wanted to anyway) abounded

Tavi felt his face flush, and he shielded his eyes furiously, trying to pretend it was still the sun in the warriors nearby hter resounded around the ca, bald hill He felt hilanced at Fade The slave stood beside him, no expression on his face, his eyes somewhat distant-but he put his hand on Tavi&039;s shoulder and squeezed, as though reassuring hia stood, patiently waiting, and then nodded toward the crest of the hill He started that way hilanced around the warriors, atched hiered their weapons Tavi moved his eyes to where a couple of older Marat wo up wood beneath a roasting spit One of the up a weathered thuth of the spit

Tavi sed and hurried up the hill after Doroga, Fade close at hand

At the top of the hill stood a dozen huge stones the size of a s upon others They were rounded, any rough edges filed away by the winds and rains and seasons, but had obdurately resisted the elements, with no cracks apparent in their surfaces

At the center of the stones was a pool with seven white stones spaced around it Upon two of the stones sat Marat

Tavi was struck at once by the difference in their appearance Doroga, huge and solid, paced around to one of the stones On the way there, he passed a lean Marat wo, silky h, more than her nakedness, Tavi noted an Aleran cavalry saber riding a Legion-issue belt at her hip, and three badges, tarnished silver falcons, which spangled the belt Her skin was shades darker than h, and her dark eyes were cool, appraising As Doroga passed her, she lifted a hand, and the Chief of the Gargant Clan lightly rapped his knuckles against hers

Doroga settled on the next rock, folded his hands, and glowered at the third Marat on the hilltop

Tavi turned his attention to hiht and lean build His hair, though Marat-pale, grew in a wild, bristling mane that fell to his shoulders and continued to sprout fro the lines of his jaw His eyes were an odd shade of pale grey, almost silver, and he held hiht Tavi looking at hi his teeth Tavi blinked to see huge, ripping canines, s, in the Marat&039;s mouth A snarl bubbled from his throat, and the a rose and spat, "Will the heada-ha defile the peace of the horto?"

The fang-toothed Marat glared frorowl, low, harsh, hardly understandable Could a wolf speak, Tavi thought, it would sound like this "The headman of the Sabot-ha has already defiled its sanctity with these outsiders"

Doroga smiled "The horto welcoh perhaps I aara?"

The wo, "I believe he thinks you ara snarled toward the woa "Stay out of this, Hashat I need neither you nor the Kevras-ha to tell a rolled a pace toward Skagara The big Marat flexed his hands with an o of knuckles "This is between you and I, Wolf Do you believe ara lifted his lips away fro and tense silence on the hill At the end of it, he let out a spiteful growl and looked away fro this a said He continued staring at the other ara a then murmured, "We come before The One at this horto" He turned his face up toward the sun, eyes closing, and ue The other two Marat did the saes Silence reigned on the hilltop for the space of a score of heartbeats, and then the Marat together lowered their eyes again

"I aant Clan," Tavi&039;s captor said in formal tones

"I am called Hashat, headman of the Kevras-ha, the Horse Clan," stated the woa-ha, the Wolf Clan" Skagara rose, impatiently "I see no need for this horto We have captive eneo to battle"

Doroga nodded soberly "Yes These are our enemies So has spoken Atsurak of the Sishkrak-ha" He turned his face to Tavi "And none have spoken against him"

Tavi sed and stepped forward His voice shook, but he forced the words out, and they rang out with clarion strength areat stones on the hilltop "I ae valley And I say that we are no enemies of the Marat"

There was a startled silence for the space of a breath, there at the hilltop And then Skagara leapt to his feet with a howl of rage Frory shouts from dozens of throats, male and fe howls of direwolves

Doroga cah he reants rolled like thunder through the winter sky, in tandem with the more distant screams of uncounted horses

Marat sprinted to the stones at the hilltop, though none of the close, eyes wide and excited, gripping weapons, crowding to get close to see-and even so, they split theroups: slab-shouldered, heavily -toothed and hungry-looking; and Clan Horse, tall and lean with their hair shaved into wind-tossed white manes The isolated hilltop transfor lances Tension and violence rode on the air like leashed lightning, pent-up and straining for release

Dorogaatop his stone, and held his arms above his head "Silence!" he roared, and his voice smothered sound atop the hill "Silence, on the horto! Silence as a question is brought before The One!"

Tavi stared around him at the reaction his words had caused and discovered that he had turned and pressed his back to Fade His li over his shoulder, he saw that Fade had assumed that sa, though he had clasped one ar the opposite shoulder steadily

"Fade," Tavi whispered "Are you all right?"

"Quiet, Tavi," Fade whispered back "Do not move"

Silence stretched over the hill, the sound ofwind the only noise Froara, crouched before his stone, staring at Tavi with so very like hatred Some instinct warned Tavi not to make eye contact, that it would only set the Marat into a killing rage-and that all of Clan Wolf would follow their headhterhouse

Tavi did not a said, turning in a slow circle "We are the One-and-Many people, under The One We prepare to o to war at the words of Atsurak of the Sishkrak-ha Atsurak the Bloody" His words spat the next words, and Tavi heard the insolent contempt in them "Atsurak the Whelpkiller"

Snarls bubbled in the throats of dozens of Marat Wolves on the hilltop, and once again came the low, harsh howls of direwolves froht

Doroga turned to face Clan Wolf without turning away froives hiht, if none step forward to call hier swung to point at Tavi "This Aleran calls Atsurak mistaken This Aleran says that his people are no eneara snarled "He has no voice here"

"He stands accused with his people," Doroga shot back "And the accused have a voice at the horto"

"Only if the headara "I say he does not You say he does" He narrowed his eyes and stared at Hashat "What says Clan Horse?"

Hashat only then unfolded froara without speaking for aher mane out to the side like a banner Then she turned, took a step into Doroga&039;s shadow, and folded her arms "Let the boy speak"

Excited h the Marat atop the hill

"Fade," Tavi whispered "What is happening?"

Fade shook his head "Don&039;t know Careful"

Doroga turned to Tavi and said, "Speak your belief, valleyboy Bring it out before The One"

Tavi sed He glanced back at Fade and then slipped away froht as he couldat him with expressions of curiosity, contean, and choked, coughing, his sto so nervously that he abruptly becaain

"Hah," spat Skagara "Look at hi what he believes before The One"

Doroga shot the Wolf headlance Then looked back at Tavi and said, "Valleyboy If you would speak, now is the ti a sour taste froain "I am not your enemy," he said His voice broke, and he cleared his throat This tiain "I aht no quarrel with the Marat since before I was born I don&039;t knoho this Atsurak person is-but if he says that ant to hurt your people, he&039;s a liar"

The words rang alanced over at Doroga and found the Gargant head at hia frowned, and lowered his voice to a confidential murmur "I do not believe Atsurak has mated with any of yours If that is what you mean He does not lie with Alerans"

"No," Tavi said, nervous flutters co lies"

Doroga blinked again Then nodded, as though in sudden coain and said, "You believe he speaks mistakenly"

"Yes," Tavi said "Wait, no! No, a lie is different than a mistake-"

But Tavi&039;s words went unheeded as a shout rose up froara leapt atop his rock and raised his are! Let this Aleran whelp test his beliefs before The One! Let him face the Trial of Blood with Atsurak and end this ara sneered toward Tavi "Atsurak will split his belly open before he can screa his chin "I am the eldest heade to Atsurak&039;s belief in his place"

Skagara&039;s eyes widened "Atsurak," he said, "would not approve"

Doroga bared his white teeth "Atsurak," he repeated, "is not here I will defend his belief as is proper"

Skagara growled "As well The strength of Doroga is well known He will break the Aleran in the Trial of his Clan, even as Atsurak would do in a Trial of Blood"